Mould fired up for title shot

Graeme Anderson

SUNDERLAND boxer Lee Mould goes for the first title of his fledgling career this weekend when he takes on Sheffield’s Sam Matkin for the British Masters bronze lightweight belt.

The 23-year-old from Town End Farm is unbeaten after four fights, but faces a tough battle against fellow unbeaten boxer Matkin, who is fighting on home territory.

Matkin is unbeaten in six fights, but Mould fancies his chances – even though it will be only the Wearsider’s fifth professional fight.

To win, he will have to do it the hard way – fighting away from home for the first time, as well as stepping up to eight rounds of three minutes, compared to his previous four threes.

But Mould, buoyed by a first-round stoppage of Ben Zacharkiw in the Summer Rumble at the Stadium of Light in July, is relishing Saturday’s clash at the Steel City’s Octagon Centre.

“I’m very lucky and very grateful to be fighting for a title this early in my career and it should be a good fight for the fans because we’re both unbeaten and we’ll both be going for it,” he said.

“Fighting away from home doesn’t bother me – a boxing ring is a boxing ring wherever it is, isn’t it?

“As for eight three-minute rounds, that won’t be a problem, we’ve been working on that in sparring and I’ve done eight rounds with Paul Archer and felt great.”

Mould has taken the Matkin fight at just five weeks’ notice, but the Wearsider said: “That’s plenty of time, and this is a good opportunity for me. If I can win a belt, it will open doors for me and I’m really looking forward to the show.

H David Haye has aimed a shot at unbeaten Tyson Fury ahead of their heavyweight clash in Manchester next Saturday night by insisting that his sparring partners would be able to beat the Mancunian.

Haye is favourite despite giving up six inches in height and seven inches in reach. Among his sparring partners are unbeaten American Deontay Wilder and Pole Mariusz Wach, who lost on points to Wladimir Klitschko just last year.

Haye, 32, said: “I have no doubt whatsoever that the guys brought over for me to spar would do a number on Fury in a fight.

“I have brought over a load of top-10 heavyweights, some of them unbeaten, with lots of ambition and pride. Each of them would make Fury look silly in a fight.